Wireless mobile communication devices are in increasing use and the ability to ensure continued connectivity for users is of increasing importance. To aid in management of mobile device communication, it is desirable for users of such devices within an enterprise to have identification and communication information stored in a manner that permits the information to be accessible and current.
One example of such identification and communication information relates to telephone numbers assigned to mobile communication devices. Wireless devices such as mobile telephones typically make use of a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) component to identify the device to the wireless network that the device uses for communication. A user may change the SIM in a mobile communication device to allow the user to use a network in a different geographic region. This change in SIM is one way to permit device “roaming”. If a wireless user moves to an area where a first communication carrier's wireless network does not reach, or where the cost for access to that carrier's network becomes unacceptable, the wireless user may replace a first SIM with a SIM for another wireless network.
In wireless communication devices that include both e-mail and telephone functionality, a change of SIM will not necessarily change the e-mail address for the device, but it will result in a change in the telephone number that is assigned to the device. As a result, attempts to communicate with the mobile device with a new SIM by telephone may fail. Information available to other employees of an enterprise of to non-employees may be out of date or temporarily inaccurate.
As will be appreciated, there is often other status information about a mobile communication device that is useful in management of communication to the device. Status information concerning the location of the device may be usable for communication management, for example, if such information indicates that the device is in a particular time zone or if it indicates that the device is in a cradle at a workstation. Other dynamic network identifier information may also be useful status information for the device, for example, an IP address assigned to a handset.
It is therefore desirable to provide a system and method for the management communications relating to mobile devices which is based on status information being made available by the devices.